


Curses Can('t) Be Broken

by shortandsweet



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Aged-Up Gon Freecs/Killua Zoldyck, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Curses, Embarassed Gon Freecs, Embarrassed Killua Zoldyck, Florist AU, Healing from trauma, M/M, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2021-01-03 02:00:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21171557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shortandsweet/pseuds/shortandsweet
Summary: When Gon was cursed years ago for the murder of Pitou, he gave up hope of finding a cure. When an intriguing (and attractive) stranger wanders into his shop, he could be the key to helping Gon heal from both the curse and the trauma of his past.





	Curses Can('t) Be Broken

The creaking of his joints was constant. The stiffness that came every morning when it almost felt like every change that had been forced upon him was happening at once all over again was commonplace, something he hardly batted an eye at. The way sometimes his limbs would be hard as oak and soften up to the normal muscles and tendons he was used to a moment later, making Gon question his sanity too many times. After the curse, they were all normal parts of his life. Things he expected everyday. All of that changed when he met Killua.

Working as a florist was a good way for Gon to both push back the effects of the curse and feel slightly more at peace. Ever since the incident that had cursed him in the first place, he hadn’t been okay. He could laugh it off with his friends, and sure, he had fun but… there was always something just under the surface, a feeling that he was on the edge of a cliff and just a hair away from tipping off the edge. Being surrounded by the bright colors, the fresh and sweet smells of the various kinds of flowers, and even the sounds of the wind blowing through them, were all some of the only things that could keep him grounded. The fact that he could give himself and his unselfish care to the plants was also a bonus, pushing back the curse as much as possible. 

Day 1:

Gon smiled as he walked through the garden, snipping the fully-bloomed roses as he went. The florists’ shop was open, but it was too early for many visitors to be coming. Add in that today was also not near any holidays and it pretty much guaranteed that the store wouldn’t have customers for a little bit. Just as Gon was snipping the stem of another one of his precious roses, however, he heard the quiet pinging of the bell above the door, announcing the arrival of a customer. 

Gon stood up, swiping his hands together to get some of the stray dirt off of his hands.  _ Huh, weird that there’s a customer at-  _ he checked the time-  _ 8:30 in the morning.  _

“Hey, what can I do for you!” He said as he passed through the door that separated his courtyard-style garden from the main part of the store, even before he could see the customer. When his eyes landed on the man standing there, he had to fight very hard not to lose his composure. Gon had had some attractive customers, but this guy really took the cake. His features were elegant and he stood proudly, both of which gave him the appearance of a prince. When Gon spoke, the man turned toward him, turning the full force of his slightly intimidating gaze onto him. His frosty eyes were piercing, but they didn’t seem malevolent, persay. Just on edge. Some say that eyes are the window to the soul and for the first time looking into this mans eyes, Gon could fully feel the truth behind that statement.

“Yeah. You work here?” The customer replied, voice barely tinged with suspicion.

“I own this store, actually. What were you looking for today?” He replied, deciding to brush off the fact that the other had asked such a strange question. Of course Gon worked here, he was covered in dirt and he just asked how he could help!

“I wanted flowers. It’s for someone close to me, her birthday is tomorrow.” He shifted his eyes around the store, leaning from foot to foot. He was a mystery, and it made Gon want to crack it. The someone close to him was probably a girlfriend. Oh well, it wasn’t like Gon was  _ actually  _ going to make a move. He hadn’t been very into dating since- the accident. Ironic, considering that was exactly what he needed for a cure. 

“Do you want any specific types of flowers, or did you have colors in mind? Or maybe you want me to choose?” Gon replied, secretly hoping the other didn’t have a specific flower in mind. Picking out and arranging the flowers was one of Gons favorite parts of the job, asides from tending for the flowers.

“Er- I hadn’t really thought of any of that.” The other man looked to the side, pointedly ignoring Gon. Gon had to fight to keep in a laugh. Geez, from regal and princely to completely embarrassed. (From beautiful to adorable, Gon couldn’t stop his brain from thinking.)

“That’s fine! Maybe you can look at samples for bouquets we have, or think of her favorite flowers? I can arrange some flowers in colors she would like, but it might take a little longer.

“Well, she likes pink. A lot.” The man snorted, smiling fondly. “I can wait a little, too, that’s fine with me. I’ll just chill in the corner of the room.” He was already starting to edge towards the couch near the window. 

“Okay! I’ll be about thirty minutes to an hour.” Gon turned around to get started and barely caught the other waving his hand generally in his direction as if in confirmation. 

Exactly thirty-four minutes later the flowers were given, the money was handed over, and the other man left. Only when he was gone did Gon realize;  _ Oh, I never got his name. _

  
  


Day 14:

(Two weeks later)

It was another two weeks before Gon saw him again. A shorter time than he had thought, though he hadn’t expected that they would ever see each other again. 

When the silver-haired man stepped into the shop for the second time, he was just as beautiful as Gon had remembered. Eyes still looking around critically, just like the last time, but they were a little softer. No longer quite… suspicious and more just what looked like a habitual sweep of his surroundings.

“Oh, hey.” Gon said as he leaned forward onto the front counter. He knew he was grinning foolishly right now but he didn’t really care. “Back so soon?” He spoke like they were friends and not just two strangers who met two weeks ago during an exchange of  _ flowers.  _ The other didn’t seem to mind, just snorting air out of his nose quietly. 

“Yeah, I guess so.” He meandered over to a burgundy flower to lean in and smell it. Gon burst out into laughter as the other gagged and leaned back, coughing. “What the hell is that?”

“Corpse flower.” 

“That sounds as disgusting as it smells, great.” The customer rolled his eyes, but his lips were turned up at the side just barely.

“What’s your name?” Gon blurted out, hardly thinking about how far off topic the question was. 

“Killua. And you’re Gon.” The stranger-  _ Killua-  _ said. Hold on- how did Killua know his- “Nametag.” What? The confusion must have shown on Gons face, because Killua quirked an eyebrow and smiled with way too much amusement. “You looked confused. You have a nametag. It says your name.” He explained as if he were talking to a child, which with the amounts of thinking skills Gon was showing right now, wasn’t that offensive. 

“Oh, right. I… guess I forgot.” He brought up a hand to rub at the back of his neck. Killua just let out a quiet hum of acknowledgement before growing back to walking around the store. “Are you looking for anything specific?” Gon asked tentatively, leaning so he could peer around a large leafy green plant situated in between himself and his only customer. 

“Do you know anything about flower languages?” Killua glanced up from the fuschia plant he was currently admiring, seemingly ignoring Gons inquiry. 

“Well, I  _ am  _ a florist so I would hope so.” Gon snorted. Killua looked embarrassed for the first time since Gon had met him, ears turning pink as he turned away from Gon pointedly, pretending to be very interested in a nearby flower arrangement. 

“Uh, right. Um, do you know of flowers that mean pride, uh, love, and acceptance? Preferably in pink, white, and blue.” He looked up at the ceiling as if in deep thought and Gon took the opportunity to admire his gorgeous facial features. (Jawlines that sharp were bad for Gons health.) He looked back at Gon and quickly added “And this is for my sister, so no like, romantic love or anything.”

  
  


Now Gons interest was really piqued. For his sister? Could the flowers from last week also have been for his sister? Maybe he wasn’t dating anyone!  _ That’s not what you should be thinking about right now.  _ Gons reminded his brain. He shook his head to clear it so he could properly think of the right flower combination. 

Gon thought for a second. Pink amaryllis, flower, and… flower. Beautiful and got the point across. 

“Alright, I can definitely do that. You want to wait in here or do you want me to call or text you when it’s ready?” Gon offered, which was… different from how he normally dealt with customers, but he kind of wanted Killuas number.

“I have to do something, so you can text me. I’ll pick it up as soon as I can. Do you have a pen for me to write my number?”  _ Score.  _ Now Gon had Killuas money and his phone number, all he really wanted from a person.

Killua wrote down his number and left the shop, waving a lazy goodbye to Gon, before beginning to practically run down the sidewalk. Gon stood behind the counter for a second more, looking at Killuas phone number (he was a little too attached to a taken person) and eventually began to head to the back to collect the flowers he would need. 

Forty-five frustrating minutes of trying to arrange the flowers perfectly later, Gon was finally satisfied, and he brought out his phone to text Killua. Before he could even type out a “hi” his hand seized up and sent Gon into agony. He glared down at the offending hand to see the hand nearly completely turned to a wood of stone kind, he would guess oak. Gon hardly noticed the phone slip from his grasp until it landed on the floor, thudding dully. Gon tried to flex his hand, to curl it into a fist, to move his wrist, do to anything, but he found his hand unable to move. 

What felt like minutes but was more likely about thirty seconds later, his hand began to be able to move and the wood softened into flesh and muscle. With the pain gone, Gon could think straight. The curse. It was getting worse. He probably only had a year left before he turned completely into oak.

With shaky fingers, Gon reached down and picked his phone off the ground, cautiously inspecting it for damage. After deeming it uninjured he opened it up and started to continue his text to Killua. It’s okay. He was going to be fine. He just had to go water the flowers out back and he would be fine. He had time. 

** _Hey, this is Gon, the florist. Your floral arrangement is ready for pick up. _ **

_ That sounds way too formal _ . Gon thought, and considered for a moment before adding a smiley face emoji. There. Professional but not threateningly so. He didn’t hesitate in hitting send.

It didn’t take Killua very long to get there, arriving ten minutes after the text was sent. Gon choked in a gasp when he saw the newest addition, a piercing in each ear. He had simple black studs in, but they stood out shockingly against the red ear.

“Here. Flowers. For you. That you ordered.” Go stuttered out in an uncharacteristic moment of shyness.

“Thanks.” Killua took the bouquet with a smile and brought the flowers to his nose to smell. It was a small move, but it was so cute. How could someone look so good doing something so normal?

“I like your piercing.” Gon said, gesturing at Killuas ears. Killuas eyes brightened.

“Thanks! I’ve been wanting one for a while, it will really annoy my parents. Or make them happier. Either one I’m fine with.” He shrugged. Gon grinned, heart feeling light. Killua turned to leave and Gons smile started to dip. Killua stopped abruptly and half turned towards Gon. “You have my number so, uh, you can text me sometime. If you want.” He pointedly didn’t look at Gon after the statement was out of his mouth and he turned towards the door, practically sprinting out.

Gon hadn’t felt this light, this happy, since the curse had been forced upon him. It gave him a feeling of hope. Maybe… maybe Killua was special. Maybe he could be the key to breaking the curse.


End file.
